Scarlet Rose

On the second day of Alice's birthday, the guests all went back one after another.Mr. Jonah specially granted me a day off. I went to the castle gate of the manor to see off the guests with the earl's family. Before dinner, I gave Alice a collection of Byron's poems.This is my mother's book, and she has read it many times, and she has written notes and reviews.I have no interest in poetry and literature. Although when chatting with friends in France, some people suggested memorizing a few poems and using melancholic temperament to attract girls, but I really couldn't stand it.Now giving the collection of poems to Alice is considered a good owner for the collection of poems.However, I still have some concerns about the missing crystal necklace.

What I didn't expect was that as soon as I arrived at the clinic, I saw Ella wearing that pink crystal necklace around her neck.

"Good morning, Roman," Ella greeted me. "Look at my new necklace! It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes..." I was surprised, this is the necklace I picked, and I naturally picked it because I thought it was beautiful; but why on Ella?I didn't meet her yesterday...

"It was Ke Luo who sent me, I didn't expect that guy to have such a vision!" Ella expressed surprise, "He even proposed to me, do you think I should accept him?"

"Uh, this..." When the accident happened yesterday, Crowe was nearby and seemed to help me help the injured.I don't know if he took the necklace at that time, well, maybe it fell out and he picked it up... Anyway, he was giving it away with a necklace that didn't belong to him!

"I think you need to think again," I said to Ella.Anyway, I don't really want to pursue the matter.Crowe is not rich, but he likes Ella very much.Ella has expressed her liking to me veiled many times, but I don't want to accept her, so I just pretend not to notice her feelings.But Crowe was a little hostile to me because of this, and the matter of this necklace might be his revenge.

"Consider what? Is he not good enough? Or do you think you are better?" Ella asked me with a smile.

"What I mean is that you need to know more about him, his character, conduct, and then make plans. After all, marriage is a major event in life, isn't it? Be careful..." I hurriedly explained.

"Oh..." Ella looked a little disappointed, "I'll think about it."

I bid her a hasty farewell and went upstairs.In the past in Paris, picking up girls was for the sake of face and for fun, so the object was never the people around me.But after arriving in the UK, I am not very interested in picking up girls, but I hope to have a serious relationship.Of course, it’s better not to be someone close to me. After all, I have never been a good lover. Even if I hurt someone’s heart, I may not be aware of it.

In September, I went to London several times with excuses, and talked with the editor of the publishing house about Alice's novel.Her novels have been serialized in newspapers, with one chapter a week. It has been several months now, and the first volume can be published after a few more chapters are updated.The editor has done some research and found that Alice's novels are quite popular, but most of the readers are young girls who fantasize about having a handsome, gentle and dedicated lover.

Today I came to London to buy some medicines, and after placing an order, I went to the publishing house.It was getting late, I booked a hotel and planned to stay overnight in London.The publishing house was about to get off work, and Mr. William, the editor, said that he would invite me to have a drink.I'm glad that I haven't been to entertainment venues after being in England for so long, and it's not bad to go for a drink now.

William took me to a club he frequented.There are many young men and women dancing on the dance floor, and the band is playing jazz on the edge of the dance floor. The lively rhythm suits my taste.William brought me a glass of wine from the bar, and asked worriedly if I was an adult.I ignored him, took the wine and drank it.After a few sips, William became interested and began to introduce this place to me.Most of the guests in this club are the places where children with a little money at home like to come, and occasionally noble ladies come here to play secretly without telling their parents.

"It's easy to tell them apart. It's just a beautiful girl who looks low-key but fine, and looks calm but nervous and curious." William said with a smile, while looking at the people around him, "Look at that girl, she is the same."

I followed his gaze and saw a girl with brown hair and white skin, who could see the aristocratic temperament standing there.She looked a little uneasy, as if trying to fit in here, but at a loss.Two men stepped forward and tried to strike up a conversation, but the girl was a little embarrassed to deal with it.

"Girls of this type are also very hot. They are much more innocent than ordinary girls. As long as you approach them with a mature and graceful appearance, and kindly bring them into this place, they will be very grateful to you, dance with you, and kiss... …Of course it’s impossible to go any further.” William finished drinking the wine in his glass, then turned his head and said, “I’m going to meet that little white rabbit by helping her out of the siege, do you want to take a closer look? "

I find it interesting, although I know that the noble lady is of course not as innocent as she appears on the surface. Isn't it a kind of use to say that accepting William's invitation?They can enjoy here, and for them, they have achieved their goal.So I didn't intend to stop it, so I just watched it as a show.

William straightened his neckline and put on a confident smile.But I saw two more girls walking towards that girl's position.One of them... is Jialin!

"Wait!" I quickly stopped William, "I remember you are married?"

"Yeah, what's the matter? Hey, it's not cheating. What, you want to meet them?" William winked at me.

"One is a friend." I said helplessly, standing up and walking towards them.

The three girls seemed eager to accept the invitation of the two men to take them dancing.Jialin and the brunette girl were still hesitant, but another girl with reddish hair advised them to be bold.To be honest, those two men don't look like serious people, and I'm really afraid that they will suffer.

"Jialin!" I called out, which attracted the attention of the three girls.

"Roman!" Jia Lin was a little surprised to see me.

"Sorry, they were waiting for me," I said to the two men, who shrugged and walked away regretfully.

"Why did you come here? Are you underage? Does your brother know?" Seeing that no one came again, I asked Jialin with some concern. It should be the red-haired girl who brought Jialin and the black-haired girl over. Yes, I guess Jialin may be the first time here.

"Ah, I came here secretly, don't tell my brother." Jialin immediately became nervous.

"You didn't drink?" I asked.

"No. Roman? Are you not British?" the red-haired girl asked me, "Do you know Jialin?"

"He is Alice's cousin." Jialin introduced me to them. It turned out that the other two girls were Jialin's cousins.

"Roman, come dance with me!" The red-haired girl named Claire generously invited me to dance.

I frowned, worried that Jialin and her cousin were here.

At this time William came over and greeted the girls very naturally.I asked William to dance with Claire. Claire was a little reluctant, but didn't show much, and dragged William to the dance floor.

Jialin was a little uneasy and forced a smile.

"Where do you live?" I asked her.

"Ah, I'm staying at Clare's house. My uncle and aunt are not at home today, so we came here." Jialin said.

I smiled at her: "Don't be nervous, I won't tell your brother. Shall I dance with you?"

"Not yet." Jialin said, glancing at her brown-haired cousin.I glanced at her, she was looking at me, and immediately looked away in a panic.I smiled reassuringly at her.

I simply chatted with Jialin and her cousin, and when Claire had danced enough, I left with them.

After returning to the hotel, I thought of Mr. Eric. He must be very strict with Jialin, otherwise Jialin would not ask me to keep it a secret.The Claire sisters have quite different personalities. The elder sister Claire is bold and lively, while the younger sister Lucy is a little timid and introverted.Compared with Claire, I prefer Claire, she gives me a fresh feeling similar to French girls.

Within a few days, the matter was forgotten by me.

In October, I went back to France.My parents' house, I entrusted the lawyer Mr. Dio to help me sell it, and now I have a buyer.I'm happy with the price Mr. Dior negotiated for me, but there are some things left in the house that I need to clean up.

Back in France, I was slightly uncomfortable with the less humid air with a hint of coffee aroma, but I was soon intoxicated again.Nice, gentle smell, really nostalgic.The leaves of the sycamore tree have fallen, and the dyed leaves flutter down, like a noble lady who is leisurely going to a banquet.

I went back to the small apartment where I lived with my parents for 16 years.After I went to college, I lived near the school, but I still lived at home during the holidays.No one has been there for several months, and a thin layer of dust has accumulated on the ground.I tore off all the white cloth covering the furniture, and the room seemed to have returned to its original appearance—beige floral curtains, three single fabric sofas, and display cabinets with all kinds of beautiful handicrafts. Chinese porcelain vases with flowers... nothing has changed except the people.

I pulled myself together, spent hours cleaning the house, took a hasty shower, and went back to sleep in my old room.Because the quilt was washed by me, I slept under my coat that night.When I woke up the next morning, I felt like I had some signs of a cold.

I didn't think I would settle in the UK before, so I didn't tidy up the house much. Now when I tidy up, I realized that almost everything I wanted to take away.The group photo of our family of three, the magazine that published my mother’s article, my mother’s favorite quill, the wood-carved animal ornaments in the display cabinet, my father’s favorite Turkish wool rug... There are some unremarkable but full of memories everywhere in the house. Small things full of life breath, for me, are all existences that cannot be discarded.I saw the silver candlesticks. When I was a child, our family of three sat in the living room, and my mother put the candlesticks on the coffee table and read stories to me.In my father's cabinet, there is a pen neatly placed. I bought it as a gift for him with my own money from part-time jobs. He didn't say anything, but put it together with the most important things such as the house deed at home.

After tidying up, I threw myself on my parents' bed and cried a lot.Soon, this place will no longer belong to me.I suddenly didn't want to sell this place... But Mr. Dior suggested that I sell it, because the current situation is not stable, and it is better to exchange for gold than to keep the house.

In the evening I went out to eat, to the same restaurant our family used to go to to celebrate something.We come about three or four times a year, of course in formal clothes.Basically, what I brought is formal clothes, so it is appropriate to go here.

"Mr. Roman." As soon as I entered the store, I heard someone calling me.

"Mr. Eric?" I was a little puzzled and a little surprised.I have to say that when I returned to France a few months later, I actually felt a sense of strangeness and loneliness. At this time, I was so happy to meet people I knew.

"Let's have dinner together." He invited me to sit with him. "I'm here to visit some jewelry designers. I've already bought the previous store."

"Ah, that's great." As far as I know, Eric's family owns several diamond mines and gemstone mines in Africa, as well as several jewelry stores, but the business is not too big.

"What about you? Coming to France to meet old friends?" he asked.

"Sell the house." I said, feeling depressed again.I thought I was mentally prepared, but when I said this, I was still so sad that I wanted to cry.

"……Feel sorry."

"It's okay." I took a sip of my wine and said nothing more.

"Can you tell me about your past? Although you will be sad, I think you will feel lighter after telling it." He said.

I was a little surprised, I thought he would change the subject, but I didn't expect him to encourage me to speak out.

"Our home is on Hongye Street, a second-floor apartment in a yellow three-story building..." I said trivial words, all of which were trivial things. He listened quietly, looked at me intently, nodded and smiled from time to time.When the food was finished, I realized he had been listening to me for so long.

"I'm sorry, I've been talking to you for so long, I've wasted your time..." After I realized it, I felt a little embarrassed.

"It's okay, I have nothing to do tonight. But you, are you in a better mood?" He smiled kindly.

"Ah, I feel better. Thank you very much."

"It's my honor to help you. I'll take you home."

When I stood up, I couldn't help seeing darkness and staggering steps.I caught a cold last night, and I drank some wine. I really felt dizzy. I felt that the voices in my ears were far away from me, as if I had the feeling of being helpless when I was drowning in the water... until There was warmth on the arms.Mr. Eric stretched out his hand to support me who was shaking, and touched my forehead with the other hand, "I seem to have a fever..."

Mr. Eric still didn't take me home, but took me to his hotel.Because he came to France alone, he personally took care of me overnight.

When I woke up and faced Mr. Eric, I felt even more embarrassed.I always feel that since we met, he has been helping me, but I have not been able to do anything for him.

"Don't think too much. If I come to you when I'm sick, you don't need to charge a consultation fee." He joked.

"Of course I won't accept it! But it's better if you don't get sick." I said hastily.

He just smiled.